Come Home for Christmas
by ExiTonberry
Summary: An annual AVALANCHE Christmas reunion at Seventh Heaven takes an unexpected turn when Yuffie and Vincent become closer than they thought possible. (Yuffentine - Cloti - Cid x Shera)
1. One Year Absense

**A/N: Heyo! It's been a while since I've posted anything, huh? Well, I haven't technically posted ANYTHING on this account. My last account, ExileScenery, was being hit by a hacker or something, my stories and documents were being deleted one by one until I had nothing in there! So changed to this account and the other is now empty and dormant (because you can't completely delete them). Anyways, that's old news. I'm just hoping it doesn't happen again, because I tend to forget to save them on my computer too, only in the document manager here. Onto the story! **

**(****PS: I know theres a lot of talking, but I tried to put in more description as well. Sorry if they're not evened out.)**

**[DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the Final Fantasy VIIs. If I did, there would be some more Yuffentine in there.]**

* * *

"Heyo! Who started the party without me?" A loud voice boomed across the bar making all of the group's head turn to the door.

A familiar young ninja stood there, her shuriken slung over her shoulder where her hair was still cut to, a wide smile spread across her face. Her gray eyes shone with happiness as the two older kids poked their heads up from the back of the bar to see who the voice belonged to, and grinning at the sight of their long-awaited reunion with their 'aunt' Yuffie. The, now, 23 year old didn't come around a lot to Seventh Heaven because of her duties in Wutai, but she did come at least twice a year. Since Godo had stepped down and Yuffie was put in as the Lady of Wutai, she had seen the rest of AVALANCHE less and less. Before, she would show up on everyone's doorstep, and sometimes in their living room, almost every few weeks. But her days of constant travel were over, replaced with serious country ruling business. The rest of the group of course visited her in her country, but Yuffie was always so busy, she worked extra hard in the summers to make sure she would have time to get off in the winter to come home for Christmas in Midgar for a week and a half while her father watched over Wutai temporarily. It was a mystery to most people how she had kept her innocent glow and happy personality when she was constantly surrounded by political issues and the aftermath of Sephiroth and Deepground. It couldn't have been in any way enjoyable.

She hadn't ever missed Christmas get togethers, so when she wasn't here at lunch four nights before Christmas as usual, Tifa, Cloud and the rest of AVALANCHE had gotten a little worried. The kids really looked up to Yuffie, the youngest and only woman to ever rule Wutai AND help save the world three times. She was also very good with kids and was Tifa and Shera's savior at times, taming a screaming baby with some of the strangest techniques, that worked every time. For example, with she soothed Tifa's new baby, Zack, with the sound of the loud oven fan or a hairdryer sitting on the bar counter while rocking him in her arms. Inconvenient for late night tantrums, but she could also get him to fall asleep while she danced across the cleared bar floor to low volume pop and country music. It baffled Tifa, but she could manage the hairdryer technique, but the dancing was a talent only Yuffie possessed. Tifa suspected it had something to do with her ninja training to make her movement swift and not jostling, so the baby just falls asleep in the trance of soft music and movement. She called it and 'unfair advantage' since Yuffie had been in ninja training her entire life. She had always been like that, no one knew where it came from. Her mother, she told them, died when she was too young to really remember anything, she didn't have any other immediate family, and it certainly didn't come from her materia seeking father.

"Aunt Yuffie!" All the younger inhabitants of the bar cried in glee. And not half a second after, the ninja heard the loud and soft footsteps of children and cubs running to her spot by the front door. She quickly tossed her weapon to a place where neither her or the kids would be hurt if they fell. And she was right in assuming that. Two small red fire cats bounding and leaping in her direction. She opened her arms in time for one, Zera, to land in her arm and the other, Teilo, to jump on top of her head and rest in her hair. She smiled and readied herself for and big squeeze of two almost teenagers smashing against her. It came and she did not quite expect the power of the two minors against her thin body. They all fell backwards onto the wood floor, Nanaki's cubs letting out surprised yelps. The sound of the three bodies hitting the floor echoed through the bar and then a cry from Yuffie, making all the kids get off of her to see what's wrong. She held her hand against her lower abdomen where Zera had gotten squished between her and the wreckage, her flaming tail hit Yuffie's bare stomach, seeing as she was wearing her purple and orange travel clothes. There was only a small, minor burn but Zera's small golden eyes were wide with surprise and guilt.

"Sorry aunt Yuffie." Her small voice came out. Like her father and mother, she and her brother gained the ability to actually speak. It surprised Yuffie a bit, because the last time she saw the cubs, them could barely say her name alone. She smiled and stood up with the cub in her arms again.

"It's alright, kiddo! I'm glad you didn't get hurt when you got squished between us." Yuffie smiled and put the cub onto her shoulders, where she curled up and carefully flicked her tail away from Yuffie's face. The ninja turned to the two much taller kids standing and grinning at her. Denzel had almost gotten as tall as her, but was still a few inches shorter. His brown hair curled into tight curls and hung around his face, framing his dark blue eyes. You could have sworn the two kids were somehow related by how much they looked alike (But Yuffie, of course, still bets they grow up and get married, looks aside). Marlene was about two inches shorter than Denzel, and her hair was loose from the braid tied with a pink ribbon, said ribbon tied on her wrist, and it flowed straight down her back to a few inches above where your rib cage ends. Her light-colored brown eyes contrasted from Denzel's, but the hair color was almost identical. And their childish personalities were on the same level as well. They know evil is out there, but they're young enough to be able to ignore it.

She wished she could do that.

"Well, are you just going to stand there, or are you going to give me a hug that wont knock me to the floor?" She grinned at the two kids. Their eyes visibly brightened and Marlene squealed. They both darted back towards her and wrapped the only 5 foot tall ninja in a chocking hug. Her absence had been long this year, The first time she hadn't made it home for a week in spring to travel to everyone's houses. It seemed like Wutai was having some trade issues that she needed to directly take care of and couldn't make it. Vincent was called by almost all of AVALANCHE to see if he'd seen her in Nibelheim, the most common place she would be other that Wutai. Yuffie smiled and patted both the kids' hair as they let go of her. Marlene was the first one to start rambling.

"Aunt Yuffie, it's so good to see you , I thought you might not make it this year when you didn't come yesterday! And I got really scared when I hit 7 P.M. and you still didn't get here! But you are here! What time is it? _11 __o'clock!_ Are you alright, what took so long?" She spoke very quickly, similar to how Yuffie talked on her own, but it was still a bit hard to understand the 12 year old, but she got the main idea. She was worried Yuffie wouldn't make it home for Christmas.

"Of course I made it, you wacko! Have I ever missed Christmas before? Nope, just a little mix up in Wutai kept me back for another day. No big deal." Yuffie reassurd her as she pulled both the kids further into the bar. "It's 11 o'clock? Shouldn't you two be in bed already?"

Denzel shook his head. "Tifa let us stay up to wait for you. I bet she'll send us up in a few minutes, though."

Marlene tugged on her arm. "Do you want to play, aunt Yuffie?"

"I'm a little tired from the trip, Marley. Can we play tomorrow? I'll teach you how to do a cartwheel if you want." Yuffie bribed the two kids, that both smiled and nodded in agreement. They both bid goodbye to their aunt and went back to the back of the bar where the television sat. The ninja smiled and walked to where Tifa was serving drinks to the few people in the bar tonight. The barmaid smiled wide when the short ninja came through the small gate the lead behind the bar.

"Yuffie, I'm glad you made it. I don't know what would have happened if we didn't have our hyperactive ninja home for Christmas!" She said playfully, giving the girl a short hug before refilling a man's whiskey glass.

"You mean, what you would do without the baby whisperer to help you through the nights?" Yuffie giggled, pulling a glass down for herself and filling it with a bunch of strange colored liquids behind the bar, mixing it together with a lemon wedge. The barmaid raised an eyebrow at her drink.

"Long island day in Wutai?" She questioned, as the younger girl took a sip of the drink and sighed.

"No, a much stronger day in Wutai. I just don't think it's good for me to get drunk off my ass ten minutes after I walked through the door." She spun the tall glass in her hand, mixing the liquids together more. She handed it to Tifa. "This right?"

Tifa eyed the drink for a moment before making eye contact with the girl. _C'mon Yuffie.._

The ninja's eyes widened and she grinned, almost dropping her drink. "Oh my god! You're-" She was cut off by Tifa putting a hand over her mouth. The barmaid herself was half grinning herself.

"Cloud doesn't know yet." She told her in a low voice.

"How long?

"2 months." Tifa smiled even more. "I feel like it's a girl. The first time I thought it was a boy this early and I was right. So maybe we'll have our little Aerith, after all."

Yuffie sighed. "Wow. We're all so grown up. Even Cid's got a kid." She motioned her head to the smoking pilot playing poker at one of the tables with Cloud and Barret. Shera sat beside him, cradling the one year old in her arms. Cid's eyes glanced over at his child every so often and a little smile appeared on his face. Tifa caught the small look of guilt cross the girl's face as she took another drink.

"Yuffie, you know it's alright. Stop feeling guilty!" Tifa ran her hand through Yuffie's short hair and saw the girl frown.

"Tifa, _Vincent_ visits more than I do! I just feel like, I'm missing everything..." Yuffie trailed off looking down at her glass.

"_Vincent_ doesn't have a country to rule day and night. _You_ do. I admit, it would be nice to see you more than I get to, but It doesn't matter, as long as I still get to see your smiling face at least once every year." Tifa retorted defiantly, staring at the girl she considered her younger sister. Yuffie stood silently for a minute as the barmaid watched her, then nodded.

"I guess you're right." She sighed, pushing a short stray hair behind her ear.

"You _know_ I'm right." Tifa smiled wide again, Putting her arm around the ninja's shoulders and squeezing her.

"Yo, could I get another beer over here?" A male voice called to the women, making Yuffie glare at its owner.

"Can't you see we're having a moment over here, Turkey?" She snapped at the red-head. Reno raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, that's the fun part. I get a beer and annoy someone at the same time. It's a win-win, yo." He grinned, tilting his head to the side a bit and looking at her up and down. "My, my. You're not a shrimpy kid anymore are you. You've grown quite a bit." His blue eyes rested on her upper half and Yuffie glared, putting her hands on her hips.

"And for that, you don't get a beer!" She yelled walking over and raising her fist at him. He put his hands up covering his head for her awaited hit. Yuffie's attack stopped short when a leather-covered hand caught her arm. Her rage turned to the where the hand came from before fading away momentarily. Dark red eyes stared back at her, a perfectly shaped, dark eyebrow raised at her, questioning her in every possible way.

Vincent's grip on her arm didn't loosen when he saw her anger fade, knowing that in a few seconds it would be completely directed at him. He wasn't new to the effects of Yuffie's anger, and it was best to have a hold on her before it was too late. While waiting for the anger to fill her gray eyes, he inspected how much she had changed in a full year. He was a little surprised when she hadn't appeared in his home one morning making tea as always in the spring, but he knew that with Wutai still torn apart by Deepground, even 3 years later, things would be pretty hectic for her. Yuffie wouldn't accept many of Reeve's offers to help, no matter how much her country needed it, saying that ' there are other places that don't have an amazing ninja as their leader that need help'.

Her appearance had changed more than he expected it to in a year. Her hair, though not changed in length, had changed from the dark brown to a pure black. Her silver eyes held more of purple tint than before, but it disappeared into the steel depths when she was angry. The rest of her had changed in shape as well, giving her a more... womanly figure. She was not the 19 year old hyperactive ninja that saved him more times than he can count in the course of 4 years, but a 23 year old leader of Wutai. She had done a lot of growing up the past 3 years, yet still didn't seem to ave changed at all, personality wise. Which baffled him, as she was surrounded by politics and Deepground mess everyday, yet the cheerful look in her eyes hadn't changed from when he last saw her.

As the shock of seeing her former comrade again wore off, Yuffie took in what had become of Vincent. She noticed in amazement that he had ditched the rag he called a cape, leaving his face completely open for view. His untamable hair was tied at the nape of his neck with the bandanna that used to cover his forehead, only a few strands loose to frame his face. His eyes were still as red as she remembered, but without all the hair in his face, you could definitely tell he was of Wutai decent. His eyes were a tight, almond shape with a thin outer edge, and his jaw line was sharp and pointed, two common traits of a person from Wutai. Also his voice when she first met him was a dead giveaway, the low and smooth way he talked had an accented edge on it that couldn't be anything else. His gauntlet that usually covered his left arm was long forgotten, replaced with another leather glove that was currently holding tightly to her upper arm keeping her from any further attack she had planned. But Reno had been forgotten for the moment.

"Wow, Vincent, all your trademarks are gone. The cape, the claw, the bandanna? Be careful, people may mistake you as a normal person." She whispered the last part as if it was a true warning. A twitch of his lips indicated what a Vincent smile looked like. She lowered her arm to a normal position

"I left one just to make sure no mistakes occur." He stated, his lip still twitching a bit. Yuffie's face fell.

"Don't tell me you're still wearing those hideous boots." She pleaded, making a real smile spread across his face as he reached down under the bar and pulled Cerberus out into open view. She let out a sight of relief and leaned against the bar.

"Whew. You had me worried for a second. Hey, wanna let go of my arm so i can continue drinking?"

"You will not punch anyone?"

"Nope. All water under the bridge." Vincent eyed her warily and after a few seconds of watching her, his grip loosened until it was no longer there. His hand returned to his own glass of red liquid. He saw her looking at his drink and her lips curving into a smile and looking up at him with her own raised eyebrow. He caught on and gave her a blank look.

"It is wine." He assured her, only making her smile grown.

"Mhm. That's what all the vampires say these days." She replied, reaching for her own drink and taking a sip of it.

"There are many?"

"Yes, yes there are. I could explain it to you, but I don't want to be near you when you go crazy and start sucking people's blood." She said quickly, finishing her drink and dumping the glass in the sink and running off yelling a quick goodnight to everyone.

Vincent chuckled lightly and took a drink of his wine. Same old Yuffie.

* * *

**A/N: Hey again! Tell me if you liked this chapter in a review! Constructive criticism is welcome, flaming is not. Keep it in mind. Anyways, more chapters soon. I don't think other chapters will be as long as this one was, because this one marks up to more than 3,000 words without me knowing it. So maybe they will, but probably not. See ya next chapter!**


	2. Bubbly and Tea

**A/N: Hola! Sorry for the wait, I have a reason for it, but I sense no one really cares. And I try not to make these notes too long so you don't have to wait so long. So the only news I have is that the new chapter is much shorter than I hoped it would be. Whoops. But the good news is Yuffie dances a baby to sleep in this one :)**

**(P.S. Nanaki's cubs are an assumed addition from the sighting of him with two cubs in a cutscene. I assume he mated with Deneh and 'boom', babies, but I'm not forcing the fact.)**

**DISCLAIMER: I own a Pittsburgh Penguins pillow pet and a ruptured eardrum. But not Final Fantasy or 'Bubbly' :/**

* * *

Yuffie woke up to the sound of whimpering from one of the cribs next to her. She glanced at the clock next to her: 3 o'clock. She frowned, sitting up and pushing the slightly longer bangs out of her face and rubbing her eyes. After she was confident she could see straight, she got up and moved to the familiar spot between the two cribs sat next to each other. Lily, Cid and Shera's daughter, wiggled a bit when she saw Yuffie staring down at her, her striking blue eyes wide. Yuffie smiled and reached down to take the little girl in her arms, placing her on her hip like any other woman.

"You wanna come dance with me, don't you Lil'?" She whispered, making the little girl giggle and tug at her aunt's hair. Yuffie scowled. "No, none of that." And she begun moving towards the door on the tips of her feet, carefully to not make a lot of noise. Who knows what would happen if Vincent or Cloud woke up. Usually she wouldn't care, but with her luck they would probably get their weapons and scare Yuffie into dropping poor Lily on the hard wood floor. A very bad turn of events. So it's better to just not wake them up in the first place.

She padded carefully down the stairs and into the bar. Tifa, as always, had moved all the tables to the other side of the room and away from the television. She knew that one of the babies would probably fuss in the night so she clears the floor for Yuffie's tactics. The ninja moved over to where the stereo was and turned it onto a low volume, but her and Lily could still hear it. She picked through the stack of CD's she left here at the bar for this purpose, looking for a song for her and the light haired baby. She found one that would work for Lily, who was still pulling at her hair.

**_I've been awake for a while now, you've got me feeling like a child now._**

**_'Cause every time I see your bubbly face. I get the tingles in a silly place._**

**_It starts in my toes, and I crinkle my nose, where ever it goes, I always know._**

**_That you make me smile, please stay for a while now._**

**_Just take your time, where ever you go._**

Yuffie twirled around the polished floor as she sung quietly along, rocking the baby on her hip a bit making the child smile and let go of her hair, instead wrapping her little arms around Yuffie's neck. She shifted the baby so she was holding her in front of her to make it easier for the girl to hold onto her before continuing the song.

**_The rain is falling on my window pane, but we are hiding in a safer place._**

**_Under covers staying dry and warm, you give me feelings that I adore._**

**_They start in my toes, make me crinkle my nose, where ever it goes, I always know._**

**_That you make me smile, please stay for a while now._**

**_Just take your time, where ever you go._**

Yuffie felt the little girl's breathing start to even out and smiled, knowing her dancing always got the little tykes to sleep.

**_But what am I gonna say, when you make me feel this way._**

**_I just, mm._**

**_And it starts in my toes, makes me crinkle my nose, where ever it goes, I always know._**

**_That you make me smile, please stay for a while now._**

**_Just take your time, where ever you go._**

Yuffie hummed on, knowing that Lily was fast asleep now, but still continuing just in case.

**_I've been asleep for a while now, you tucked me in just like a child now._**

**_'Cause every time you hold me in your arms, I'm comfortable enough to feel you warmth._**

**_It starts in my soul, makes me lose all control, when you kiss my nose, the feeling shows._**

**_'Cause you make me smile, baby, just take your time now._**

**_Holding you tight now._**

**_Where ever, where ever, where ever you go._**

**_Where ever, where ever, where ever you go._**

**_Always know, that you make me smile, even just for a while._**

Yuffie smiled and turned off the stereo, popping the disk out and placing it where it belonged. She crept back up the stairs and into the bedroom with the cribs. Laying Lily down in hers, and pulling the blanket over her, she suddenly wondered what it would be like to have her own baby. She shook her head. She saw Tifa during her pregnancy, she was crazy. Yuffie didn't know how crazy she would be, or who would be crazy enough to have a kid with her in the first place. She sighed and looked at the glowing numbers on the clock that mocked her.

"If only dancing got me to go to sleep too." She muttered. Unlike the infants, once she was up and awake, she wasn't getting back to sleep any time soon. She made a sure that Zack didn't wake up in the course of her putting Lily to sleep before quietly walking out of the room and back down the stairs.

She walked over to the bar and took a mug down from the cabinet and filled it with water. Getting a tea bag that said it was a Wutain tea, she sat down on one of the bar stools, dipping the bag in the hot water and spinning it around. She watched the water turn a dark color and immediately knew it was going to taste nothing like the tea in Wutai, which was a light color, but it would have to do. She threw the tea bag out and took a sip of the drink. She shook her head.

"Have these people ever been to Wutai? This is awful." She growled and dumped it in the sink on the other side of the bar, spitting out the weird tea.

"It is an acquired taste, I suppose." A voice behind her spoke smoothly. Yuffie clenched her eyes shut, willing herself not to jump at the new voice in the room.

"You're really not proving to me that you're not a vampire by sneaking around, Vinners. Plus, who acquires a taste to that?" She spat, not turning to look at the gunslinger that walked over and pulled a bar stool out for himself. "It's worse than Bourbon." She added, while getting a new mug down and filling it with hot water again. She then turned and grabbed a water bottle from the counter and threw it behind her to Vincent, whom caught it easily.

"Thank you. And I think comparing a generic Wutain tea to a strong liquor is hardly fair."

"Life's not always fair." Yuffie shrugged, searching the cabinets for a packet of hot chocolate mix. Vincent caught a deeper meaning to her words, like something was troubling her by saying them. His red orbs traced her expression, looking for a crack and found one, very sama

"How is Wutai?" He asked in a soft voice. Her eyes snapped up at him and she bit her lip.

"It's fine. Just a little hectic."

"Would it have anything to do with you arriving 2 days later than usual?" He pressed on. He didn't like the thought of Yuffie having a burden, but he supposes when you rule a country there's nothing you can really do about it.

She was quiet for a few moments, stirring her hot chocolate, before finally speaking in a heavy tone. "It's nothing to worry about, Vincent. Just Godo being his usual self."

Vincent could tell she wasn't quite telling the truth, but not lying either. He didn't push it any further this time, but if he saw an opening another night, he'd take it to get that burden off her shoulders. "And these troubles woke you up at 3 in the morning?"

A smile spread across her face, and Vincent felt happier just knowing her got her mind off problems in Wutai. "No, Lily is to blame for that. Sadly, I never found a way to get myself to fall asleep, only infants."

"There's always materia." He offered, tilting his bottle to the side and raising an eyebrow at her.

She shook her head. "I.. I don't have any."

Vincent's eyebrows rose in surprise, turning his head to look at her fully. "Yuffie Kisaragi, traveling without materia?"

She shrugged, "I only have Leviathan and a few Cures. All the rest stays in Wutai. Plus that stuff is too heavy to be carrying around all the time now."

He nodded briefly and took a drink of his water. He was wrong in assuming that Yuffie hadn't changed after seeing her last night. Just the fact of her traveling without a large quantity of materia showed how much she had grown up in the past year. It was a big change from the teenager that could rob you of the magic orbs in seconds. The sound of her getting up broke him out of the thoughts and moved his view up. Her slightly longer black hair swung behind her as she rinsed out her empty mug and let it sit in the sink. She turned around and stretched, yawning quietly. Her black t-shirt lifted up a bit and showed her flat stomach. Vincent's eyes wondered down and caught sight of a jagged scar on her abdomen. It was a darker color than her skin, but it was still old by the looks of it.

"Look Vin, I know I have an amazing body but you don't have to stare so openly at it. It's not like i wear that many clothes anyways. Stare later, when I'm not paying attention, but still know you're doing it because who wouldn't. I swear even the old man check me out once in a while." Yuffie begun rambling, making Vincent smirk lightly and reach slowly into his pocket, feeling around for what he needed. He watched Yuffie go on and on, now about how good the tea was back in Wutai. He wasn't sure how she went from the pilot 'checking her out' to her Wutai tea (although, the pilot did favor tea, if there was no beer) but he was positive it was something only Yuffie would understand. He made sure she wasn't looking at him as he pulled what he needed out of his pocket. ONce he was ready, he cleared his throat. "Yuffie."

"-and I don't even want to talk about- Huh?" She turned to look at the gunslinger and her gray eyes then focused on the lilac sphere in his palm. Her eyes widened.

"Sleep." He said and the materia lit Yuffie's face. The ninja's eyelids begun to droop down, Vincent's cue to get up for the fall. And fall she did, with Vincent there and ready to catch her. He fumbled a bit at her weight, not expecting her to be so_ light._ She must not have gained a pound since Deepground because she felt the same as when he got her out of Nero's Darkness. But that was almost four years ago, so maybe he was fooling himself. He flipped off the dim light in the bar and walked back up the stairs and into the room she was staying in. The bed at the end of the room looked promising to be her's: her shuriken and a small bag placed next to it. He felt a smile come across his face. Her large weapon was placed so she could hold in while she sleeps, alert as ever. He set her down on it and moved her arm to when it touched the cool metal of the Wutain weapon. Her hair fell across the pillows and she had a serene expression on her face. He looked at her for a few moments, thinking about how long it had been since he had seen that look on her face. Most recent was probably five years ago after AVALANCHE defeated Bahamut SIN and Cloud killed Sephiroth for the second time. In Aeirth's church was the last time the look crossed her face before a grin broke through, and she started jumping around again.

He turned away from the girl, and begun walking out the door. He paused at the door handle and glanced back at the 23-year-old.

"Goodnight, Yuffie" He murmured, walking out and into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, so this one marks up to 2,300 some words, but the lyrics counted in, so I still think it's pretty short. Anyways, tell me how you liked the story so far, again: Constructive criticism is welcome, flames are not. See you next update :) **


End file.
